Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

Long Lifan continued to slowly approach, her footsteps making dull thuds on the rugged path. After walking for about two more minutes, several dilapidated mud houses came into view before her, arranged in a zigzag pattern, standing alone.

The surrounding area was deserted, and it was hard to imagine that anyone still lived here. Each of the small mud houses had a narrow window on its side, which was sparsely covered by a few old wooden planks, as if it would fall apart at any moment.

A layer of yellowed old newspapers covered the wooden planks, bearing the mottled marks of time. In some places, the newspapers had loosened at the corners, swaying gently in the wind. A gust of wind blew by, and the loose newspapers and wooden planks creaked and groaned, as if telling a story of endless vicissitudes and desolation.

Long Lifan's heart was heavy. The dilapidated mud house before her was beyond her expectations; she couldn't imagine that her grandfather and the others lived in such conditions. Just as she lowered her head, lost in sorrow, a slightly weathered voice suddenly rang out: "Who are you?"

She looked up abruptly and saw an elderly man, about sixty years old, standing in front of the mud house, staring at her warily. His hair was completely white, and his face was etched with deep lines, as if time had left its mark. Each wrinkle seemed to tell a story, whether joyful or sorrowful.

Looking at the weathered old man, Long Lifan felt a pang of inexplicable sorrow. Suppressing the deep sadness in her heart, she spoke softly, "Excuse me, is Zuo Minghan here? I am her granddaughter."

Upon hearing this, the old man's cloudy eyes fixed intently on Long Lifan, as if trying to pierce through her soul. He remained silent for a long time, then turned and slowly walked into the dimly lit mud house. Seeing this, Long Lifan felt a pang of disappointment, thinking that the old man was unwilling to pay attention to her.

However, the old man reappeared shortly afterward, and this time, another figure appeared beside him. At that moment, Long Lifan's gaze froze, as if the entire world had shrunk to just that one figure.

The memories deep within her were awakened, her eyes instantly welled up with tears, her lips trembled, and finally, a choked "Grandma..." filled with endless longing and emotion escaped her throat, like a long-awaited spring breeze caressing her frozen heart.

Grandma

Hearing that faint yet emotionally charged sob, Sun Ya's gaze froze, staring blankly at the long shadow cast by the figure in the sunlight not far away. Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and only when her heartbeat resumed did she dare to believe her eyes.

Her lips trembled slightly. After a long while, she finally mustered her courage, her voice trembling with uncontrollable joy: "You...you are Fan Yatou?" These words seemed to be a call to a distant phantom, or a confirmation of a dream she had cherished for many years. Joy and disbelief intertwined in her heart.

“It’s me, Grandma!” Long Lifan nodded, then ran to Sun Ya and hugged her tightly.

"Okay, okay," Sun Ya's eyes glistened with tears as she gently stroked Long Lifan's hair with her wrinkled hands, as if touching a long-lost treasure. "It's been years since I last saw her. Our little Fan has grown into a beautiful young lady. I almost didn't recognize her..."

As she spoke, she held Long Lifan's hand tightly, the warmth spreading through her palm, and led her into the house without further ado, "Come on, come inside with me, let your grandpa take a good look at you, he talks about you all the time!"

Long Lifan followed closely behind her grandmother and stepped into the dilapidated mud house. The house was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a faint smell of earth, as if one could smell the sedimentation of time.

The small room was immediately filled with two rustic earthen beds, separated by a half-draped rag that served as a bed curtain. Some old clothes were casually piled up beside the beds. On the innermost bed, a figure lay quietly in a half-reclined position—it was her maternal grandfather. His aged face appeared gentle in the dim light, and he occasionally let out a low cough.

"Old man, look who's here..." Grandma Sun's voice was full of excitement. She gently pushed Long Lifan to the front of the earthen bed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Fan girl…”

Staggering to his feet, Zuo Minghan recognized Long Lifan at a glance, even though they hadn't seen each other for several years. He said excitedly, "How did you know we were here? Did your grandfather tell you…?"

Long Lifan gently shook her head. "No, Grandpa. I'm actually working as a sent-down youth in the next village right now. A while ago, I overheard some news about you and Grandma from the villagers, and I was so excited. I thought I had to come see you no matter what..."

A complex emotion flashed in Zuo Minghan's eyes, a mixture of disappointment and relief. He had originally thought that Long Lifan's arrival was arranged by Long Jianjun, a beacon of hope to take them home.

Actually, they had made an agreement with Long Jianjun before they were sent down to the countryside. Long Jianjun would take care of his children, and in return, they would not contact them until the situation became clear. But then they thought about it again and realized that was unlikely. After all, they had been ruthlessly dragged out for criticism and struggle sessions just a few days ago, and the scene was still vivid in their minds. Their injuries had not yet healed.

When he learned that Long Lifan had gone to the countryside alone as an educated youth, the old man's face turned ashen and he was furious. He slammed his hand on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and roared, "What is Long Jianjun good for? He can't even protect his own granddaughter!"

"Grandpa, please don't blame Grandpa. I really volunteered to go to the countryside. They only found out right before I left." Long Lifan quickly comforted her grandfather, knowing their temperaments well.

Grandpa's long military service made him speak with a very loud and sharp voice, while Grandpa, having received a university education, possessed the pride of an intellectual. One was straightforward, the other stubborn; sparks always flew when the two old men met. To avoid Grandpa developing a grudge against Grandpa due to misunderstandings, Long Lifan cleverly changed the subject:

"By the way, Grandpa, how are your injuries now?" Long Lifan's eyes were full of concern, and her tone was full of affection for her grandfather.

"Well, much better."

Hearing his granddaughter's concerned words, Zuo Minghan smiled with relief. He pointed to the old man standing to the side and said, "Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is Old Wu. You can call him Grandpa Wu. Thanks to him for going up the mountain to find herbs to treat my injuries, they are slowly getting better."

"Thank you, Grandpa Wu." Long Lifan hadn't expected that the old man would also know medicine. Seeing her grandfather's spirits, he was clearly recovering quickly. Feeling grateful, she respectfully thanked Grandpa Wu.

“You don’t need to be so polite, it was just a small favor. Now that we’ve all fallen into this godforsaken place, we should help each other out. Your grandparents have helped me a lot in the past…” Old Wu waved his hand, “It’s rare for you grandparents and grandchildren to meet, so I won’t disturb you any longer…” With that, Old Wu left the room with a forlorn expression.